Pocket lighter



Nov. 29, 1932. v. ARONSON POCKET LIGHTER Filed Dec. 2a; 1928 hnw W II M Z M/ M "$25 0202 H 9 l v MW M l 7 r a 0 j 5 M n0 0 I'lll ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 29, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOUIS V. ABONSO N, OF EWABK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO ART METAL WORKS, INC

. I I A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY POCKET LIGHTER Application filed December 26, 1928,. Serial No. 328,333.

This invention relates to pocket lighters such as are in common useas cigar or cigarette lighters. More particularly the invention discloses a pocket lighter adapted to utilize either a liquid or a semi-solid fuel for supplying the wick element. Other features of the invention will become apparent in the detailed description given below.

The invention is best explained by ref- 1 erence to the drawing which shows a side view of the improved pocket lighterwith a portion of the fuel container cut away in vertical section to disclose the internal construction.

' Referring to the drawing the upper portion of the lighter may be of a well known construction and is included merely for the I sake of completeness. The operation of lighting and extinguishing the wick is briefly as follows. Depression of a plunger 1 carries with it racks 2 meshing with pinions 3 to rotate the latter in a clockwise direction. .dsnuder element 4 being keyed on a journal with pinions 3 rotates upward about the axis 5 in unison with pinions. At the same time an abrading wheel 6 is rotated with the snufi'er. The teeth of wheel 6 in scraping against a pyrophoric element 7 produces a shower of sparks directed toward the exposed portion of a wick 8. As the snufier 4 rotates upward some of these sparks coming in contact with the wick ignite the same which burns thereafter by utilizing the fuel supw plied from the container. I

When it is desired to extinguish the flame,

- the pressure is removed from plunger 1 which is restored to the position shown, by the reaction of a compression spring 9 against the 0 bottom of a tubular member 9. As the plunger is restored it carries the racks 2 upward which .in turn rotate the pinions 3 in counter-clockwise directions. This rotates V. athe snufier 4 downwardly about the axis 5 drawing, the portions 12 of the walls of the base engaging the inner walls of the container with a sliding fit. At the beaded portion 14 the walls of the base are abruptly thickened to provide a shoulder in part de fining a reduced portion adapted-to slidably engage the container walls, said shoulder abutting the lower edge of the casing portion 10 to provide a stop against further insertion of the base portion. The portion 13' of the base walls external to the container may be given the same external dimensions as the container proper. In order to provide an increased bearing surface between the container and base, however, the walls of both may be given increased thickness as shown at 15 and 16 respectively. In order to provide a fluid-tight joint at this hearing a washer orpacklng 17 surrounds the base between the bearing surfaces of elements 15 and 16. In order to give the container a symmetrical appearance a beaded portion 15' may be provided near the top of the casing to correspond to the bracket portion 15.

The base 11 is constructed of material such that the walls may be given a certain amount of resiliency, particularly the portion 12 thereof which slides within the container. At opposite sides of the longer axis of the base, the walls may be slotted vertically from the upper edge down a short distance as shown at 18 and 19'. The wall of the base is thus divided'to the depth of the slot into two portions which may be given a sli ht but permanent bias away from each ot or so that with the base removed from the container the transverse dimensions at the upper edge of the base are slightly greater than the cone 9 sponding internal dimensions between the front and back walls of the container. Thus upon inserting the base into the container it becomes necessary to squeeze the sides of the base slightly together, but once the base thereby providing a tight fit which by friction holds the base in position.

Additional means comprising a bolt 19 screw-threaded into a nut 20 are provided for maintaining the base permanentl in position relative to the container. The bolt 19 may be riveted with a fluid tight joint through the top 21 of the container. The nut 20 extends with a sliding fit through an aperture in the bottom 24 of the base 11. The nut 20 may be provided with a flattened head 26 external 'to the base. The edge of the head 26 is preferably knurled so that the nut may be easily screwed onto the bolt manually. In addition the external surface of .the head 26 is slotted transversely whereby the nut may be tightened up by means of a screw driver or the like. The external surface 'of the bottom 24 contains a circular indentation 27 into which the head 26 fits. Between the head 26 and the bottom 24 there is inserted a washer 25 of acking material for providing a fluid tight oint w1th the nut 20 screwed up tightly on the bolt.

Atits upper edge the nut 20 may be sur rounded by a sleeve member 22 which rests against a shoulder 28 on the nut, and is held in place by placing the nutat its upper edge against a curved portion of the sleeve as shown at 29. The sleeve 22 serves to prevent the nut when unscrewed from the bolt from falling through the hole in the base and thus possibly becoming lost. An internal flare 23 at the upper edge of the nut facilitates the 10- cation of the end of the bolt in the nut;

The pyrophoric element 7 fits into the end of a tube30 extending through a sealed joint in the top 21 and down almost to the bottom of the base 11. The element 7 is maintained tightly against the abrading wheel 6 in the usual manner by means of a coiled spring 31 extending within the tube as shown. The end of the spring is aflixed to a nut 32 as shown, the nut being screw-threaded into the lower end of the tube 30 and being provided with a knurled head 33 for tightening up the same. When the nut 32 is unscrewed and withdrawn, the spring will also be withdrawn from the tube allowing the loosely fitting element 7 to fall through. The tube 30 extends below the lower edge of the container 10 so that with the base removed, the nut 32 maybemanually screwed into place.

The upper portion of the container 10 is filled with an absorbent material 34 such as cotton adapted to absorb the fuel for lighting the wick 8, the lower end of which is embedded in the material 34 as indicated on the drawing. The lower ortion of the container may, if desired, be 1e t free of cotton. With this arrangement the lighter is adapted to utilize either a liquid or a semi-solid or substantially solid fuel to be burned by the wick.

Any of the well known liquid fuels might be utilized by the lighter such as benzine, or the like. A semi-solid fuel best adapted to use in the lighter would be one having a viscosity not much greater than that of ordinary petroleum jelly. The semi-solid fuel may be one which of itself furnishes the inflammable substance for the wick, or it may be-a carrier saturated with a highly volatile fuel such as benzine which is easily absorb able by the wick.

In order to supply the container with fuel whether of the liquid or solid variety, the

base 11 is first removed in the manner ex-' lained above, after which the container 10 1s inverted. If a liquid fuel is utilized, it is poured into the open end of the container until the absorbent material 34 is well saturated, after which the base 11 is replaced and the nut 20 tightened on 'bolt 19, the lighter being then ready for use. If a solid fuel of the type described, or other suitable fuel, is utilized, it is placed in the inverted container 10 by means of any instrument.

The fuel is packed tightly against the'absorbent material 34. Any desired amount of such fuel may of course be used at each charge, to the extent of completely filling the container. When the charge of fuel has been placed within the container as described the base 11 is replaced and nut 20 tightened, the lighter being then ready for use.

It will be noted that the construction whereby the lower end of tube 30 with the nut thereon lies wholly within the container. This avoids the necessity of providing a separate openin in the base 24 similar to that through WhlCh the nut 20 extends. This feature also minimizes the possibility of leakage from the container, and renders the removal of the base much handier than would be, the case if the tube 30 extended through the bottom 24.

Since the absorbent material fills only a portion of the receptacle, a. substantial space adjacent the filling opening is left free, of absorbent material whereby considerable quantities of the jelly-like semi-solidified fuel may be quickly lodged in the receptacle in a position contacting with the absorbent material whereby such semi-solidified fuel may be slowlyabsorbed and fed into the wick as needed. With this arrangement sufficient semi-solidified fuel may be very quickly charged into an ordinary pocket lighter receptacle to last for a period as long as several months, if desired, with ordinary use of the lighter. This invention not only provides for the admission of a eater quantity of fuel to the receptacle t an is safely possible with the use of liquid fuel, but in addition the semi-solidified fuel is ractically free from evaporation losses. T is arrangement, therefore, not only affords great convenience as'to the filling operation, but also renders it unnecessary to fill the lighter except at long intervals of time. The sphere of usefulness of lighters of this type is thereby greatly extended, and the inconveniences and possible dangers of the use of liquid fuel a may be (avoided.

ment thereof, I do not desire to be limited to such details or forms, since many changes and modifications may be made and the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broader aspects. Hence I desire to cover all modifications and forms coming within the language or scope of any one or more of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A pocket lighter comprising in combination, an elongated fuel container closed at the top and provided with a removable base snugly fitted to the opposite end thereof, said base constituting an extension to the container and adapted to be partially inserted within the container, the lower edge of said container walls being thickened to provide a surface abutting a corresponding shoulder surrounding the base, means for holding said base in position against the container comprising a tie rod positioned within the container with one end aflixed to the top thereof and with the opposite end screw-threaded into a capped nut extending loosely through the base, the outer end of said nut being provided with a flattened head for tightening the same to react against the base, a wick tube bearing a wick projecting from the top of said container, and means aflixed to the container for producing a flame at the wick and extinguishing the same.

2. A pocket lighter comprising in combination, an elongated fuel container closed at the top and provided with a removable base, said base constituting an extension to the container and having resilient walls for insertion within said container, said walls being further provided with a shoulder adapted to seat against the lower rim of said container, the upper edge of said resilient walls being slotted longitudinally at opposite points and the edges flared slightly whereby with the base in position the walls of the base are ex-' panded snugly against the container walls, means for holding said base in position against the container, a wick tube bearing a w ck projecting from the top of said contamer, and means affixed to the container for container and being provided with walls having a reduced portion adapted to slide snugly within the container walls, said reduced portion terminating at a shoulder adapted to abut the container rim, means for retaining said base against said container, said means comprising a tie rod within said container with one end aflixed thereto, and with the opposite end screw-threaded into a capped nut extending loosely through said base, the outer end of said nut having a flattened knurled head for rest-ing against said base, the inner end of said nut being flared to facilitate location of the tie rod therein, and provided with an external shoulder to permanently associ ate the nut and cover, a wick tube bearing a wick projecting from the top of said container, and means afiixed to the container for producing and extinguishing a flame at the wick.

4. A pocket lighter comprising in combination an elongated fuel container closed at the top and provided with a removable base, said base constituting an extension to the container and provided with walls having a reduced portion for insertion within the container walls, said reduced portion terminating at a shoulder on said base adapted to rest against the rim of the container, a packing washer surrouding the base between said rim and said shoulder for forming a fluid tight joint thereat, means for retaining the base in position against the container, comprising a tie rod within and affixed to the container with one end screw-threaded into a nut extending loosely through said base, said nut being provided with a flattened head for resting against the base, a packing washer interposed between said flattened nut head and said base, a depression in said base for reception of said packing washer and flattened nut head, a wick tube bearing a wick projecting from said container, and means aflixed to said container for producing and extinguishing ing a threaded member having a disk-like face coacting with said closure member on the exterior surface thereof.

6. The combination with a fuel container adapted to carry pyrophoric lighting mecha nism at one end thereof of a closure member detachably related to the other end of said container, said closure member having a sleeve-like extension telescopically disposed with respect to the open end of said container, an elongated member extending through said container from the top wall thereof, and means for retaining said closure member in closing position, said means comprising a threaded member having a disk-like face coacting with said closure member on the exterior surface thereof, said threaded member being detachably associated with one end of said elongated member.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

LOUIS V. ARONSON. 

